http://www.cewf.ca
AN INDEPENDENT WATER MANAGEMENT AGENCY
WHAT IS IT??? AND
WHY DO WE NEED IT???
In the Spring of 2007, the Federal Government, through the Minister
of Environment Canada, appointed a Panel of Experts to study the future of
the Trent-Severn Waterway (TSW) and to offer its recommendations to the
Minister. The result is a
comprehensive report entitled “It’s All About the Water”.
In their report, the Panel made it clear that the TSW is not just
canals and locks; it is “two large watersheds”, the
Severn and the Trent.
The watersheds in which the reservoir and flow-through (RAFT) lakes
are contained are represented by the Coalition for Equitable Water Flow
(CEWF). These watersheds include
the Gull River, Burnt River, Nogies Creek, Eels Creek, Mississauga River and
Jack Lake all of which drain into the Trent River drainage area but, when we
talk about the TSW, we mean the entire system.
There are hundreds of thousands of people who depend upon the
efficient and effective management of the TSW whether they are
waterfront property owners, city and town dwellers, marina
operators, retailers, resort operators, retailers, etc., etc.
Furthermore, “waterfront property alone is worth whopping $23.6
billion” and generates “more than a billion dollars in economic activity and
$240 million in municipal taxes each year”.
You can see why the future of the TSW is vital to the economy of
Ontario
and Canada.
Conservation of our most precious natural resource, fresh, clean
water, and protection of our environment is equally vital to every Canadian.
The CEWF supports the recommendation of the Panel that calls for an
Independent Water Management Agency (IWMA) because we agree that it will lay
the foundation upon which to build the future of the TSW in the 21st
century and beyond. It must be
noted that in the public consultation process, nearly every presenter and
every submission called for such an agency.
An IWMA would have “exclusive authority over water use, allocation,
and flow management in the two watersheds” eliminating the jurisdictional
confusion and paralysis that currently holds the system in its grip..
It would include a Stakeholder Advisory Committee whose members would
represent First Nations, select municipalities and conservation authorities
as well as citizens with an interest in water management relating to the
environment, shoreline residence, tourism, waterpower, recreational fishing,
boating and resource extraction.
The CEWF wants a seat at this table!
This is where the CEWF can advocate for equality of water allocation
and the protection of our environment, the ecology of each of our lakes and
the economy of our region. The
report “It’s All About the Water” can be read at
www.tswpanel.ca The Model for
Discussion on the IWMA is on Page 71.
If you live, work or play in Haliburton County, Peterborough County,
Galway-Cavendish-Harvey and Kawartha Lakes and if your job is water-related,
such as at a marina or as part of that region’s tourist-recreational
economy, you know that water levels are an issue. Sometimes, in spring,
there’s too much - flooding occurs, shorelines erode and docks get damaged.
Then, in summer, there’s often too little - boating can be hazardous because
of barely submerged rocks, and diving off your dock can be dangerous for you
and your kids. It happens year after year; our water disappears and we have
little say and minimal control over it.
Fluctuating water levels occur in Haliburton County,
the northern parts of
Peterborough
County and Kawartha Lakes because our lakes are used as storage
reservoirs to maintain water flow in the Trent River
and the Trent-Severn
Canal. We are beset with
problems. The operators of the canal (the federal government – Parks Canada)
have crumbling dams, failing infrastructure and minimal financial resources.
Making this difficult situation even worse, another level of government, the Province of Ontario, has the authority to allow
others (cities, industries and private users), to draw water out of the
lakes, rivers and canals. Too often these water usage goals are at odds with
one another; there is little coordination and we, the members of the
Coalition for Equitable Water Flow (CEWF) continue to suffer as our water is
drained south to answer ever-expanding demands. Can something be done? We
believe so.
In 2007, pursuant to a unanimous, All-Party resolution of Parliament, the
federal government appointed an Expert Panel to study the ‘future’ of the
Trent-Severn Waterway. Following a year of study, which included hearing
from hundreds of witnesses, including the CEWF, the Panel released a report
entitled “It’s All About the Water”. This report contains 26
recommendations, chief amongst them being the creation of an Independent
Water Management Agency, or IWMA.
The idea behind the IWMA is to rise above present federal-provincial
jurisdictional conflicts to create one super agency that can deal with
issues on a watershed-wide basis and serve the best interests of all. Most
importantly, it would give stakeholders across the watershed a voice in the
decision-making process. Rather than the present system where TSW and urban
centre water needs prevail, the IWMA concept makes the watersheds the
pre-eminent concern. The canal and urban centres would have to line up with
all other users to plead their cases for water. Water flows would be managed
according to a water budget and allocated with regard to a balance of needs,
(an integrated water management model), with levels established in a more
equitable manner. Greater emphasis would be placed on water conservation,
better usage practices developed, improved equipment acquired and greater
financial resources set aside. Presently, crucial repairs to dams and locks
go neglected, with potentially catastrophic results looming ahead. This must
change!
It is proposed that the IWMA will absorb staff already employed in several
federal and provincial departments (likely 10 – 15 positions), and that it
be governed by a 5 - 7 member Board appointed jointly by Canada and Ontario. Board meetings
would be held regularly and be open to the public. A stakeholder Advisory
Committee would provide input from First Nation groups, municipalities,
conservation authorities as well as citizen groups, such as CEWF, who have
an interest in water management relating to shoreline, boating, environment,
tourism, recreational fishing, waterpower generation, etc. In short, an
IWMA has the potential to give us a voice, a measure of control,
over what happens to the water along the shores of the rivers and lakes on
which we live and upon which we depend for our livelihoods and enjoyment.
CEWF believes an IWMA represents our best chance of a better water future.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION GO TO
http://www.cewf.ca
